It is quite a powerful statement. But what do you need to trigger inner change if you find it challenging to shake things up?

This was exactly what the whole conference was about!

Change begins inside yourself, as soon as you commit to do things differently. That’s why paying attention to your inner leader is no waste of energy.

Here’s what you need to trigger inner change.

Plant a seed for self-awareness

If your best leader resides in your inner world, how can you trigger inner change by inviting her into your day-to-day more often?

Peter Weng discussed self awareness at length with us. Originally part of Google’s mindfulness programme, he explained that the science of meditation is clear. Only a few minutes of mindful activities each day can improve focus and reduce stress. And when you know that 70% of leaders struggle with being attentive in meetings, learning to focus better is not an option. It’s a necessity.

Self awareness is as simple as pausing to do an inner check. Can you observe your emotional or behavioural patterns? Would self awareness bring a different quality into your relationships?

Now, what about you? How would you like to be described? What are your heart and edge qualities? How can use them to trigger inner change and adapt your leadership style?

Conversations can trigger inner change

Everyone has the ability to influence. You don’t need a title or a role to make an impact. Just a genuine connection with your interlocutor is enough to build a positive relationship.

How? Language and conversations.

Effective communication is a vast topic. I will dedicate a post to it in a couple of weeks (if you don’t want to miss it, sign up for the newsletter right below and grab your free copy of the “Confident Leader e-book”).

Discover how to strengthen your inner game and become an influential leader. Download my FREE e-book to discover 3 practical steps to communicate for impact and lead through trust.

For today, I’d like to stick to one fascinating fact about active listening that I learnt from Journalist Celeste Headlee.

According to neuroscience, what makes communication effective is empathy. And what can boost empathy is to listen with full attention. Listening enhances neural coupling (when your brain waves align to those of the person you’re conversing with). Practically speaking, you listening actively teaches the other person to listen more next time they’re in a conversation.

The simple passive act of listening to someone else can trigger inner change. It brings back the art of great conversation. That is something, right?

How to create your own future

One valid reason to trigger inner change is that the outer world is changing fast and deeply.

But if the world becomes increasingly automated and digital, positive social interactions remain the only way to stay relevant. Because, ultimately, any work you do is about people.

As Brian David Johnson, futurist in residence at Arizona State University puts it…

Only you can shape the future you’re going to live in. And it doesn’t require massive technology. Only you need to change the story you tell yourself and trigger inner change first.

See, any action will find its impact in the future. So question your intentions now. Why are you doing what you do? What are you optimising for? What do you hope to get out of it? And what could introduce bias in the process?